Russia will toughen control over drugs manufacturing and sale

The Russian Ministry of Health is planning to toughen control over the manufacturing and marketing of pharmaceuticals, the ministry's Pharmaceutical Inspection Head, Vladimir Shipkov said talking to the media Monday.

The key problem today, he noted, is our poor knowledge of the pharmaceuticals market. "We do not know the personal make-up of all the market operators, and therefore, we don't know who the players are and by what rules they play," Shipkov stressed.

According to him, the pharmaceutical inspection was set up about six months ago and has 19 members now.

"Considering that there are around 700 domestic drugs manufacturers, 7,000 large distributor companies, and some 70,000 pharmacies, it would be premature to assess the inspection's work as effective," Shipkov explained.

In his opinion, the existing "legal vacuum" also jeopardises the anti-falsification efforts in the pharmaceuticals industry.

In April, a Public Consultative Council was set up under the Health Ministry, Shipkov said, to deal with issues of government and legal regulation of the pharmaceuticals market.